Some of Personal Realty Adviser’s Snowbird clients ask about renting their vacation homes when not in use to help generate extra income. If you’re contemplating renting out your vacation home when you’re not using it, you might be asking yourself if you need to hire a property manager. Remember that Vacation Home property managers are different from those hired to manage annual rentals. “A Continue Reading
10 Ways the Title to Your Home Can Be in Jeopardy
Most homeowners are unaware that many factors can jeopardize the ownership of their home, which is, for most of us, the most significant investment we will make in our lives. While this is a scary proposition, knowledge can help you avoid these pitfalls. We consulted our title expert, Carla Hall of America’s Title Corp, to explain the top 10 title issues she encounters. Before diving Continue Reading
To Stage or Not to Stage? Can You Really Afford NOT to Stage Your Home?
Having well-planned strategies to stage your home can positively impact your final selling price. The cost of staging a home usually is well below that of the first price reduction if a home remains on the market for too long. If a home remains on the market for a month without an offer, the average selling price drops 5%. On a $500,000 home, that’s $25,000. “Statistics show the best chance of Continue Reading
The Florida Homestead Exemption: A Powerful Tool with Powerful Tax Benefits
One of the highest costs of homeownership can be property tax, which varies according to the city or county in which you reside. Understanding and taking advantage of the Homestead Exemption can help homeowners reduce their property taxes in both the short and long-term, especially in a booming market. “Florida laws pertaining to property taxes are unique, and many of our clients relocating Continue Reading
Home Buying 101… For EVERYONE
Home buying can be a tremendous challenge for many people, especially in this constantly shifting and changing real estate market. Homebuyers need strong guidance from trusted and experienced real estate professionals, as you will find at Personal Realty Advisers. “It’s more than just first-time homebuyers,” said Robert Coscia, Broker and Brokerage Owner of Personal Realty Advisers. “Home Continue Reading
The Benefits of Signing a Buyer’s Agreement with Your Broker
Buying a home is a significant investment—one of life’s biggest purchases—and it can be a complicated, lengthy process, so you want a real estate agent who will be fully committed to you. An experienced agent will dedicate a great amount of time to help you achieve your goal; likewise, they want their buyers to be fully committed to them in return. One way this mutual commitment is often Continue Reading
The Benefits of a 1031 Tax-Free Exchange
Are you a real estate investor or someone looking to exchange a vacation home or rental property for a different type of investment? If so, a 1031 tax-deferred exchange might be suitable for you. When executed strategically and under the right circumstances, 1031 exchanges can help upscale and further optimize your investment portfolio. What is a 1031 Exchange? Under the standard tax code Continue Reading
Ways to Minimize Real Estate Capital Gains Taxes
In the last 20 years, there has not been a more attractive market for selling your real estate investments than now. Whether it’s time to downsize, time to sell your vacation real estate, time to relocate for work, time to buy your retirement dream home, or time to move to another state to be near family, home sellers are seeing some of the best sales offers in decades—often for cash and often Continue Reading
Aging in Place
This article series examines changes in households when our parents age and need additional support. This could mean changes to your parents’ existing home or the purchase of a new home that will better meet their needs (covered in our Caring for Parents at Home article). It also could involve relocating parents to move into your home or otherwise blending your households in some way, which is the Continue Reading
Should I Buy or Should I Build? Pros & Cons
You want a new home…or at least one that's new to you. Should you buy or build? Both have their pluses and minuses. How do you decide which avenue to take? That depends on the time frame you have to make a move, where you want to live, and how much personal customization you want in your new (or new-to-you) home. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median price for an existing home in the Continue Reading
